(Reuters) - Progressive Corp (PGR.N) , the fourth-largest U.S. auto insurer, already has hundreds of thousands of auto insurance customers who willingly let the company track their driving behavior in exchange for the chance at substantial discounts, and on Monday the company opened the door to competitors' clients as well.
Progressive will open its "Snapshot" usage-based insurance program to anyone who wants to track how well they drive.
Based on 30 days of driving data, people can earn a prospective discount on their insurance premiums, which Progressive will then apply if the user decides to become a customer. Historically, the insurer said, roughly 70 percent of people who sign up for the program end up earning a discount.
The Snapshot device, which plugs into a port in cars built after 1996, tracks behavior like miles driven, braking patterns and even what time of day a car is used. The new trial program will be available in 35 of the 42 states where Progressive currently offers the service to its existing clients.
The company claims it is the first time drivers can objectively compare the rate they would be charged with the rate they currently pay their carrier.
"With the test drive of Snapshot, you do the 30 days, you're not a customer, you can just see what your discount is," said Richard Hutchinson, general manager of usage-based insurance for Progressive.
Progressive is planning what Hutchinson called "a big, big campaign in all dimensions" to promote the expansion of the program.
One of the most obvious fears for consumer advocates is the possibility that insurers could use the data they gather from technology like "Snapshot" to raise rates on customers, especially as other auto- insurance companies launch their own usage-based programs.
But one industry consultant recently said customers will have to pay extra to not be tracked by their insurer, given how aggressively the industry is expanding in that direction.
"The rates will have to start going up on the rest of it," said Robin Harbage, global marketing and sales leader for consultancy Tower Watson's auto insurance practice. "It's almost inevitable that the people who aren't using it will have to pay more because the people who are the best drivers are being self-selected into these programs."
(Reporting By Ben Berkowitz; editing by M.D. Golan)
from Reuters
